Empress Kōken

Who was Empress Kōken?

Empress Kōken, also known as Empress Shōtoku, was the 46th and the 48th monarch of Japan respectively, according to the traditional order of succession. Empress Kōken first reigned from 749 to 758, then she reascended the throne as Empress Shōtoku from 765 until her death in 770.

In the history of Japan, Kōken/Shōtoku was the sixth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The five female monarchs before Kōken/Shōtoku were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, Jitō, Gemmei, and Genshō; and the two women sovereigns reigning after Kōken/Shōtoku were Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi.